ACTIONS FOR PEACE I have been involved in many demonstrations and non-violent direct actions over the years. The following are some highlights. Please Google my name to obtain a wider range of information. My most recent actions against the Iraq war include the Declaration of Peace direct action at the White House on September 21, 2006, direct action in DC at the Capitol on September 26, 2006, the Witness Against Torture action at the Federal District Courthouse in DC on January 11, 2007, the UFPJ march in DC on January 27, 2007, coordinated actions at Senator Mikulski's offices on March 13. These actions have resulted in court trials, my most recent court appearance being on June 1 in DC Superior Court to face a contempt of court charge for failure to pay a fine, resulting from a wrongful conviction from the September 26 action at the Capitol. You can view the web link to my letter to the judge explaining my refusal to pay the fine on the "In the News" tab. You can find information on upcoming demonstrations and actions on the "Upcoming Events" tab. In addition, as a member of the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, I have lobbied our elected representatives, including Senators Mikulski and Cardin, former Senator Sarbanes and Congresspersons Ruppersberger, Cummings and Sarbanes to end the occupation of Iraq. These actions have ranged from letters, phone calls, questioning at public and town hall events, personal face-to-face meetings, sit-ins and arrests. The Pledge is currently "haunting" our representatives locally while participating in various actions with the larger Maryland for Peace group in DC and other areas. The Pledge also hosts a First Thursday demonstration at Charles & Centre streets - as it has since August, 2003. Each First Thursday I am the representation of the famous photo of the hooded Abu Ghraib prisoner standing on a box with electrical wires attached to his hands. It is important for me to continue to be a reminder of what is taking place in our names in Iraq. Additionally, I protested, on behalf of the Pledge of Resistance, police harassment in 2006 at our First Thursday demonstration. I and other members of the Pledge of Resistance are involved in an ongoing FOIA request, which has been facilitated by the ACLU of Maryland as well as a DC law firm - resulting from revelations that the National Security Agency has been spying on the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore. The FOIA request has revealed that the Maryalnd State Police's Department of Homeland Security unit has or has had a police informant in the Pledge. This is ongoing and I will update information as it is obtained. In addition, I have participated with the Pledge of Resistance and the Charm City Greens in several demonstrations at the NSA.

ACTIONS AGAINST THE BGE RATE HIKES I have been very active with the Maryland Coalition to Stop the BGE Rate Hikes since 2006 and demonstrated outside of Mayo Shattuck's city residence, as well as in front of BGE last summer. This year, I have attended and contributed to two energy summits, the last one on April 28, testified before the PSC on April 18 and joined the protest in front of BGE on May 24, along with 75-100 other outraged citizens. Our next demonstration is on June 23 in front of Gov. O'Malley's Annapolis residence. Along with petitioning, flyering and attending community meetings where I speak about this issue, I have confronted on-air, pro-BGE guests on Marc Steiner's show and speak with everyone I can each day about the manner in which the 1.2 million residential BGE ratepayers are being shafted on this issue. I strongly believe that the most important part of activism is one-on-one education. ACTIONS FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE I joined the Maryland Universal HealthCare Action Netowrk (UHCAN) in 2007 and have been involved in their lobbying efforts to force the state to adopt a true universal health care system, which leaves the insurance companies out of the healthcare process. Access to quality health care is a human right, not a privilege depending on whether or not you can afford it. UHCAN has been an effective lobbying organization, especially in educating legislators who are usually unaware of what universal health care really is and how it can be implemented in Maryland. UHCAN's next event will be during the premiere of Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko' which is a scathing look at the abysmal for-profit health care system in this country. We will be tabling at The Charles theater during the July premiere providing educational literature and informative conversation to movie-goers. OTHER ACTIONS I participate in a study group, hosted by the Maryland Green Party and founded by Gar Alperovitz, author of "America, Beyond Capitalism. Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty and Our Democracy". We are studying innovative ways to revitalize our communities and our country - the development of community land trusts, increased creation of publicly owned utilities, the use of different methods to hold corporations accountable and make them good community citizens and a host of other strategies designed to eliminate the widening gap between rich and poor - for a new and better life for all of us.